Media Center

Congressman David Scott welcomed more than 1,000 constituents and 200 healthcare professionals and volunteers to the Third Annual 13^th Congressional District Health Fair held Saturday, August 18, 2007.

“While I’ve been working in Congress to provide affordable and accessible healthcare to all Georgians, I wanted to do some extra,” said Congressman Scott. “That’s why I’m hosting my annual health fairs to bring together hospitals, insurance & pharmaceutical companies, government agencies and leading healthcare organizations to offer free services for people who otherwise might not have access to such care. This year we were able to build on the success of our first two fairs by saving more lives with much-needed preventive screenings and empowerment through awareness. We were also able to increase the number of participating organizations, as well as gain participation from the Pharma Bus. At our health fairs, we’ve had people whose blood pressure was so high that doctors had to call for an ambulance to come and take them to the hospital immediately.”

Congressman Scott kicked off the health fair by hosting a question and answer panel discussion addressing the importance of preventative care to preempt the onset of such chronic conditions as diabetes, cancer, heart disease, strokes, and obesity. Scott was joined on the panel by Dr. Michael Smith of Atlanta Medical Center’s Oncology Department and Dr. Steve Wertheim of Resurgens Orthopedics.

“Representing Georgians is more than just casting votes in Washington. I believe strongly that the most important part of being a Member of Congress is helping people,” Scott added. “Throughout my years in public service, from the Georgia legislature to the U.S. Congress, I have made it one of my main objectives to ensure and promote the health and well-being of my fellow Georgians. I will continue to work with my colleagues in Washington to ensure healthcare continues to be at the forefront of our discussions. We have much work to do, but I believe with dedicated efforts, we will achieve success.”

More than 95 area non-profit organizations, hospitals, government agencies, and members of the health care industry were on hand to provide a wide variety of free health screenings, fitness demonstrations, preventative health care consultations and information about important health issues.

Attendees of the Health Fair participated in a blood drive and were able to enroll on site in a number of health assistance programs. Participants included Kaiser Permanente, Southern Regional Health System, Emory Health Center, Grady Health System, Alzheimer’s Services Center, Sickle Cell Foundation of Georgia, the American Heart Associations, Healthy Mothers/Healthy Babies, Clayton County Sheriff’s Office, Metro Atlanta Fire Chief, AFLAC, Clayton County Police Department, HUMANA Medicare, Peach State Health Plan, American Red Cross, Partnership for Prescription Assistance, Team Vision, Georgia Breast Cancer, FDA, AID Atlanta, and many others!

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